Saturday, November 14, 2009

It is Pacquiao one more time! The Philippine idol Manny Pacquiao has now 7 titles in different divisions.

The fight seems so good and very thrilling even though Pacman have kneeled down Cotto in Rounds 3 and 4. Miguel Cotto has the fighting spirit and fights very well until round 12. He has suffered from great attacks of Pacquiao and dont even know were the punches are coming from.

Cotto added that Pacquiao is one of the best fighters in the world and acknowledges his power and speed. The Puerto Rican stressed up that he will continue fighting in the ring.

Congratulations Manny Pacquiao for winning it one more time. The Filipino people and your fans is proud of you! We want to see you fighting Mayweather next!

Just go back here as the fight will be covered here live, round by round. The following video will be replaced with the proper online streaming from time to time so if it stop or it shows a different video feed, just refresh the page to see suggested links or video feed of the Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight. Hope you enjoy the fight guys as I enjoy it!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

In analyzing the style of Manny Pacquiao, who better to ask than a fighter who got the chance to brawl with the pound-for-pound king inside the ring.

Former world lightweight champion David Diaz talked with the Bulletin on Tuesday from his home in Chicago and described the compelling speed advantage of Pacquiao.

“When I fought Manny I underestimated his speed. It wasn’t too much on his power. It was basically his ability to move in and out really quick,” said Diaz via overseas call. “That’s what I overlooked. It was something I’ve never seen before because it was really very hard to deal with.”

Diaz lost his World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight belt to Pacquiao via a brutal 9th round stoppage June of last year in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Apparently, Cotto doesn’t seem to mind the remarkable quickness of Pacquiao that led to riveting victories over naturally bigger fighters namely British Ricky Hatton and superstar Oscar De La Hoya.

“We know he has speed. We know he has a style and we are prepared to beat it. You’ll find out on the 14th how I am going to deal with his speed. It’s not going to be a factor even though everyone thinks it is,” Cotto once said during a conference call last week.

But Diaz insists that Pacquiao’s speed is not just all about throwing rapid punches or moving out of an attack with quick footwork.

“Manny has the ability to force his opponent to go toe-to-toe and then what he will do is to sidestep his opponent then do his damage. Dela Hoya could’ve been smarter but he himself fell into that trap as well,” added Diaz.

Diaz believes Pacquiao’s second round annihilation of Hatton last May also in Las Vegas showed the uncanny ability of the Filipino sensation to throw powerful shots while moving out of harm’s way.

“When Manny threw that right hook, Hatton tried to counter because technically Manny was supposed to be there but in reality Manny was already moving away,” said Diaz. “It’s hard to say this or that is going work against Manny Pacquiao just because of the awkwardness of his punches.”

Meantime in a separate telephone interview with the Bulletin, Cotto’s conditioning coach Phil Landman asserts they never did something special in training and be worried about Pacquiao’s speed.

“Since we arrived we knew what we have to achieve and we knew exactly the kind of work to be done and we’ve done that,” said Landman “We try to make new things to make training interesting for Miguel but for the most part we generally stick to something that has worked.”

Landman started working with Cotto when the Puerto Rican made his debut in the tough 147 lb class back in December 2006.

Cotto, 29, will stake his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt in a 12-round battle against Pacquiao at an agreed catch weight of 145 lbs this Sunday (Manila time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Both Cotto and Pacquiao will make their grand arrivals today at the MGM Grand’s Front Lobby Porte Cochere which will be opened to the public.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Miguel Cotto is convinced that he would beat Manny Pacquiao on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in Las Vegas, saying that he couldn’t care less what other people think.

“I have done the right things in my camp to make a great fight on Saturday the 14th. I have no doubt I’m going to be the winner of this fight. It is going to be a great fight for me and the fans and all the boxing world,” said the Puerto Rican champion.

Less than a week before facing the Filipino pound-for-pound king, Cotto was interviewed by boxing writers through a teleconference arranged by promoter Bob Arum.

Cotto is set to leave his camp in Tampa, Florida for Las Vegas to wrap up his training that began in Puerto Rico.

The 28-year-old welterweight champion said he doesn’t pay much attention to people who don’t believe in him.

“I have to do my best whether the people believe in me or not. I am here for me, my family and the people that want to follow Miguel Cotto,” he said.

On Freddie Roach’s prediction that he would be knocked out in the first round by Pacquiao, Cotto had a mouthful to say.

“Forget about Freddie Roach. The only thing Freddie can do is train Manny. He can’t go over the ropes and into the ring to fight against Miguel Cotto. He can only train Manny the best he can,” Cotto said.

“He may say and think Manny will knock me out but at the end of the day, it is just Manny and Miguel Cotto in the ring. No matter what kind of things Freddie Roach says before the fight?I have a very strong mind. The psyche game? I’m not going to follow that game,” he added.

Cotto said Pacquiao’s renowned speed won’t be a factor.

“You know what? That’s why we prepare ourselves. He’s a fast fighter. We know he has speed. We know he has a style and we are prepared to beat it. You’ll find out on the 14th how I am going to deal with his speed. It’s not going to be a factor even though everyone thinks it is,” he said.

Cotto said he doesn’t mind being overlooked by the international media.

“I am here to do my work. I am not an artist. I am just a boxer and I have to be focused on the things I am going to do on the 14th and that is the reason I am here,” he said.

Arum believes that the Pacquiao-Cotto fight is more evenly matched than the recent showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Most journalists did not give Marquez any chance, and rightly so, against Mayweather and in this fight the journalists are split in their views as to who is going to win,” Arum said. “This is a much more competitive fight and one of the most competitive fights of the year.”

Cotto is a 3-1 underdog against Pacquiao, but Arum said odds are merely reflection on how people are betting.

“The money that’s been coming into the sports book is Philippine money coming heavy on many Pacquiao and that has no reflection at all on how close this fight is or who is the better fighter. In other words, if some millionaires from Puerto Rico got on a plane tonight and bet big sums of money on Miguel, he would be the favorite,” Arum said.

Cotto said that all the betting for Pacquiao is not going to change the result of the fight.

“If the people bet for Manny, it is all right with me. I am here for myself and not any kind of bet,” he said.

All talks about Pacquiao fighting Mayweather don’t bother Cotto.

“It’s really not important to me what the boxing world wants to see. Once I beat Manny Pacquiao they can continue their plans and do what they want but I am not going home without winning this fight,” he said.

Friday, November 6, 2009

The video below shows the sneak peek of both Pacquiao and Cotto HBO's 24/7. These two great fighters with strong determinations to win will occupy the hearts of every aficionado watching them. This will be an exciting fight and no one can erase that feeling into them.

This said fight has many speculation because they are two different fighters. The current pound for pound being the challenger and the bigger Cotto being the defending champ.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

MANILA -- Manny Pacquiao sang his heart out in American late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, endearing himself further to his Filipino and even American fans with his gamely attitude.

Pacquiao, arguably today’s most popular boxer, delivered his own rendition of Dan Hill’s “Sometimes When We Touch” before a Pinoy-dominated audience who attended ABC’s late-night show.

He might not be as gifted as “YouTube” star Charice, but he was definitely given a standing ovation after the song.

Before belting out the song, the reigning pound-for-pound king shared a few laughs with host Kimmel, gamely answering the interview which lightly touched on his love for the sport, his showbiz exploits and his family life.

“Aside from boxing, I like acting,” said Pacquiao. “I'm enjoying doing it (singing).”

He also had a short explanation on his decision to name his youngest daughter after British monarch Queen Elizabeth.

“Well I like that name,” said the boxer, who then flashed his usual smile.

Pacquiao said he took a liking on the name after hearing it in the movies.

Kimmel then joked: “I think you mean Queen Latifa,” which sent the boxer laughing.

Pacquiao’s appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show is part of his efforts to promote his upcoming fight with World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.

Kimmel commented on Pacquiao’s modesty especially on how he addresses his opponents, particularly Cotto.

“I think it's interesting that you haven't been bragging that you'd knock the guy out, you have respect for him as a fighter,” said the talk show host.

“Yeah, I respect Miguel Cotto, he's the champion and I'm the challenger. He's a good fighter also,” said the Filipino.

Cotto gives media day work out

While Pacquiao was singing in Los Angeles, his opponent gave a media day work out in Las Vegas.

Cotto looked good especially during the mitt session part of the workout.

The Puerto Rican champion is currently weighing a little over 150 pounds and is confident of winning the fight. The match is set at a 145-pound catch weight.

Cotto said Pacquiao deserves credit for his wins against Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton. He, however, warns the Filipino champ he's not going to roll over like them.

"He can say whatever he wants,” said Santiago through a translator. “It's incredible how he continues speaking but we leave that behind so we don't have that in mind.”

“My only concern is that he needs to train Manny Pacquiao because it's easy to say with words but they'll have to prove it in the ring." With reports from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News; and Joseph Pimentel, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Fred Sternburg, hired by Top Rank to lead Pacquiao’s publicity machine swears he’s never seen anything like the past few days as demand for the Filipino boxing icon continues to grow.

"Movie and TV star Jeremy Piven watched Manny train last Friday (at the Wild Card) and LA Lakers star Ron Artest was there as well," Sternburg told the Bulletin yesterday with less than two weeks before Pacquiao’s clash with Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas.

In the coming days, Pacquiao will either have to politely turn down or honor the request and invitation of men such as television host Jimmy Kimmel and Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, who has invited Pacquiao to sit with him in his private box when the ballclub plays Memphis this Friday at the Staples Center.

"Manny will be making a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live this Tuesday night (seen in the US on ABC)...(former Playboy centerfold and Baywatch babe) Pamela Anderson will also be appearing on the show," said Sternburg.

Even Time Magazine, which earlier gave prominence to the boxer for being included on the list of the world’s 100 most influential people, is set to come out with a major feature on Pacquiao "and in its Asian issue, he may apear on the cover (subject to breaking news)," said Sternburg, ading that "the cover portrait was shot Friday after his workout."

Sports Illustrated is also coming out with a piece on Pacquiao as evidenced by a photographer that dropped by the Wild Card recently.

Friday, October 30, 2009

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Manny Pacquiao believes the biggest potential fight in boxing will never happen because Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants no part of him.

Pacquiao is training in Hollywood for his meeting with Miguel Cotto on November 14 in Las Vegas, but the pound-for-pound champion spared a moment on Thursday to evaluate his chances of fighting Mayweather, the unbeaten pay-per-view king. Although the matchup almost certainly would be a financial bonanza for both fighters,

Mayweather has been circumspect about his plans for his next bout, saying only that he has never ducked anybody and would consider any opponent. In his comeback bout from a 21-month layoff, Mayweather demolished Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19 in a fight that generated more than 1 million pay-per-view buys.

Mayweather's advisers claim they haven't ruled out a bout with Pacquiao, likely among the world's few fighters who could match the American's speed. But the Filipino champion has surprisingly strong opinions about why it won't happen.

“Boxing for him is like a business,” Pacquiao said. “He doesn't care about the people around him watching. He doesn't care if the fight is boring, as long as the fight is finished and he gets (plenty of) money. ... I want people to be happy. You have a big responsibility as a boxer.”

If Mayweather and Pacquiao don't make a deal, Sugar Shane Mosley has been outspoken in his desire to fight Mayweather, even calling him out in the ring moments after his victory over Marquez. Mosley is slated to meet welterweight champion Andre Berto in Las Vegas in January.

After arriving in California last Saturday, Pacquiao has been ramping up his training regimen this week while also battling jet lag that forced him to sleep for about 20 hours on Wednesday, wiping out a day of training. Because of tax issues, Pacquiao's camp began in Manila and moved to Hollywood later than trainer Freddie Roach usually prefers.

“I'm not worried about it, because he's always known how to block everything out,” Roach said. “If anybody can do it, he can.”

Pacquiao looked fairly sharp while sparring 11 rounds on Thursday at Roach's Wild Card Gym in front of a small group of spectators including Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest and his father, Ron Sr., both avid boxing fans and Pacquiao admirers.

Pacquiao will spar 12 rounds on Saturday before gradually scaling back in preparation for his trip to Las Vegas to meet Cotto, the once-beaten welterweight champion whose combination of size and strength will be unlike anything the former flyweight champion has faced. Cotto is in camp in Tampa. Florida before traveling to the West Coast next week.

“I consider this one of the hardest fights in my boxing career,” Pacquiao said.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Those who have watched HBO 24/7 Pacquiao/Cotto last night could see the change in the Pacman. It was a different side, an inconsiderate side that I had never seen before.

Roach made a comment about Pacquiao being happy over the small things before but not so much today, like when Manny came to the gym and was happy because he got a new pair of Mizuno boxing shows and showing off his new Mizuno shoes to Freddie. Well those times have changed and it seems Manny has finally fallen victim to the Fame.

Like many other star athletes once they get to a certain level they no longer cherish the little things.

Manny has gotten too comfortable wearing those silky pajamas to bed. In the episode he disobeyed Freddie, he promised Roach behind closed doors that they would leave early, but later on decided to stay a bit more in Baguio.

As Manny Pacquiao trained in the lavish Baguio gym, instead of taking a break to visit the victims he just stayed at the resort. Roach as usual sticks up for Manny during the Baguio visit he tells the storm victims that Manny could not visit them because he told Manny to train for his fight, no matter how bad Manny treats Freddie, Roach will defend Manny and never talk bad about him.

For those poor Filipino people, just one glimpse of seeing their hero Manny Pacquiao in person would of boost their morale and give them hope. Manny took time out from training to talk politics, but not visit those victims for a brief moment? I hope this was just HBO editing because that seems unlike the Manny Pacquiao image we are so used to seeing.

Even Floyd Mayweather Jr. took the time out of his training to help the homeless and give lectures to homeless youth. Mayweather showed even with all his money that he still has the time to help those less fortunate, but with Floyd Jr. people seem to overlook that side of him and focus on the negative.

I really felt for Roach, the father and son relationship that they once had or seemed to have was no longer there. As evidenced by the final scene where Manny was talking to some politician and Freddie who was fed up because no one was listening to him tells Manny that they have to leave to LA already.

The response from Manny was shocking he rolled his eyes at Freddie Roach simply to dismiss him as if he was a nobody.

Pacquiao needs to realize how lucky he is to have a man like Freddie Roach in his corner, inside and outside the ring. Roach has stuck his neck out for Manny many times. True friends like Roach always get overlooked when they get to a certain level, they forget the little people.

Monday, October 19, 2009

BAGUIO CITY - Three-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach here Friday predicted Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao will win his seventh title when he collides with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Miguel Cotto next month.

Pacquiao and Cotto will be testing each other's mettle in a blockbuster title bout on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"Manny has been doing excellent work in his training here. We are confident we could finish the fight early to prevent Cotto from getting his second wind." Roach stressed.

In his latest sparring session late Thursday afternoon, the 30-year-old world champion floored undefeated superwelterweight contender Shawn Porter in the second round of their four-round blistering encounter with a solid left straight to the latter's jaw.

After knocking down Porter, Pacquiao also virtually mauled two-time world lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico as he displayed awesome speed and power.

Pacquiao is on his fourth week of rigid training in this mountain resort city in preparation for the Cotto fight. Team Pacquiao will be breaking camp here on October 23 in order to catch the late evening flight for Los Angeles the following day where he will be entering the Wild Card gym on October 26 for the final stage of his training.

"Manny is nearing his peak form. We are now regulating his training regimen so that he could maintain his excellent performance in the ring until the fight. We already got our game going with the help of his supportive sparring partners," Roach added.

While admitting that Typhoon Pepeng had a slight effect on the pound for pound king's roadwork, Roach claimed they are now taking advantage of the good weather to get back lost time although the gym work is way ahead of schedule.

Earlier, Roach predicted Pacquiao will knock out Cotto in either the eighth or ninth round but said the champion's performance in recent days shows that there will be an early knockout victory for his favorite ward.

Since Cotto is known to be able to get his second wind in the later part of his previous fights, the American trainer claimed Pacquiao will be working aggressively in the early rounds in order to catch the champion off balanced to be assured of a victory.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

It is almost all about Pacquiao. Of course! He is one of the most respected boxer today. But then its time to share the fame with his next foe, Miguel Cotto.

This Pacquiao vs Cotto match will not be possible of course without the joint venture in the same ring with these two great fighters. The video below will show the power of Miguel Cotto. This Puerto Rican Champ might also disappoint Pacquiao and the fans following this fight.

Watch how Miguel Cotto have slugged and outscored his previous opponents. Dont dare to miss the fire power match this November 14, 2009.

If both Pacquiao and Mayweather prevail, there will be no other bout that will make boxing fans drool from excitement but to see the current pound-for-pound king take on the former holder of that mythical title.

If everything falls into place, Pacquiao and Mayweather will figure in a collision course in 2010, a matchup so mouth-watering it has all the trappings of a record-breaker in terms of ticket sales and attendance records.

Industry sources say Pacquiao should get a guarantee of $25 million (P1.2 billion) against Mayweather plus a share in pay-per-view and ticket sales as well.

Against Cotto on November 14, Pacquiao has been guaranteed $13 million and a cut in the other revenue-generating schemes.

Pacquiao was supposed to check in at the Beverly Hills Hotel but opted instead to stay in his pricey house at Hancock Park where Koncz cooked up his famed steak barbecue that pleased his boss.

Pacquiao became boxing’s recognized holder of the coveted pound-for-pound crown on the strength of his sensational wins over Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz and Oscar De La Hoya and his hold to that lofty position was galvanized by his smashing one-punch knockout of Ricky Hatton last May.

Mayweather, who made his announcement almost two years ago, was regarded as pound-for-pound titlist at that time.

Even Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, has his sights on a Mayweather showdown although the Harvard-educated lawyer insists Pacquiao should first deal with the dangerous Cotto before salivating over the mega-buck Mayweather bout.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

MANILA, Philippines - Top Rank’s chief Bob Arum, American promoter of Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao, expressed doubt on the possibility of his prized ward facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a bout pitting two of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighters.

The top boxing executive said he's having doubts that Pacquiao will take on Mayweather next if he gets past Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 (Nov. 15 in Manila), citing problems that may possibly arise during negotiations.

"I don't think (Pacquiao-Mayweather) will happen within the next year because of all of Mayweather's posturing, the trash talk. That impedes any realistic negotiations. It would just be too difficult," Arum told Michael Rosenthal of The Ring.

Even Pacquiao's chief trainer Freddie Roach is on the same page as Arum.

"It seems like there's a lot of things working against this fight ever happening," Roach earlier told The Los Angeles Times. "It makes sense. It'd be a great fight, but it seems there’s a lot of distractions around it. I don’t think it’s going to happen."

It was earlier reported that the issue of the purse split may derail a Pacquiao-Mayweather duel, as neither fighter is willing to settle for an equal sharing of the pot.

Mayweather came out of retirement to beat Juan Manuel Marquez – Pacquiao's arch-nemesis – cruising to a lopsided victory last Sept. 19.

Asked if Pacquiao is doomed to suffer the same beating as Marquez if the Filipino goes up against Mayweather, Arum said the Filipino fighter has an entirely different style compared to Marquez's.

"Styles make fights," Arum said, citing an age-old boxing adage.

"Mayweather is a defensive specialist and Marquez is a counter puncher. Mayweather forced Marquez to be aggressive, which isn’t his game. Marquez needs his opponent to be aggressive. When Manny fought Marquez – and it’s not the same Manny now – Manny was the aggressor. Marquez was able to win a lot of rounds because he’s a good counter puncher," he added.

Arum even provided additional examples to stress his point.

"Just because A beats B and B beats C, it doesn't mean A will necessarily beat C. Look at the heavyweights from years ago. George Foreman could fight Joe Frazier and Ken Norton a hundred times each and the result would be the same, a Foreman knockout. Muhammad Ali could fight Frazier 100 times and every one would be a war. The same with Norton; he just couldn’t figure out his style. Then you put Ali in with Foreman and he's able to knock him out. Manny is a different type of fighter than Marquez," he said.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Philippine Champ Manny Pacquiao had finally engaged former world champion Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico in one of the sparring sessions on Tuesday in his training camp in Baguio City. This was added with the two key figures inside the Filipino’s camp where both were satisfied with the showing of the 35-year-old warhorse from Sonora state. The ex-champ Castillo proved to be a worthy spar mate according to Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser Mike Koncz, who personally picked up Castillo to spend some quality minutes with his boss.

The Conditioning coach Alex Ariza was also all paid praises for Castillo, who will likely fill in the void that will be left by Urbano Antillon. Urbano is due to return to the United States this weekend so he could get used to the local weather there as he prepares for a fight next month. Head coach Freddie Roach wanted to know if Castillo was indeed in shape as he ordered the Mexican to start off the seven-round session by going three rounds with pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao. It was known that after Castillo, Pacquiao worked with unbeaten super-welterweight Shawn Porter. So far, Pacquiao has logged a total of 38 rounds of sparring. Manny Pacquiao, who will face Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, spars thrice a week.

This conditioning activities of Pacquiao in Baguio City is just a few on his daily dues for the Pacquiao vs Cotto match. You will see how dedicated this guy is all through out his trainings.

The video below will show how Pacquiao dominated his opponents in a stunning ending. Manny Pacquiao is the smaller Tyson who is a slugger and defeated many with realistic victory. This will tell how this man from the Philippines have wowed everybody on his very own especial skills in the field of boxing.

Watch This video and you will see this man on his best. The Pacquiao vs Cotto fight will tell if Pacquiao will continue on his glory being the reigning pound-for-pound king. Will this greatness of the king enough to defeat the bigger Cotto?

Sunday, October 11, 2009

MANILA --Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao might go to US ahead of schedule to continue his training as continued rains brought by Typhoon “Pepeng” are starting to affect preparations for his November 14 fight.

Pacquiao, who is currently training in Baguio City, is entering his fourth training week on Monday for his upcoming fight against World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champ Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas.

According to Ferdie Marquez, the musical director of Pacquiao’s after-fight concert with Filipina singer Madonna Decena, the boxer might fly to the US on October 19.

Baguio City has become virtually isolated after several landslides hit Benguet province as "Pepeng" continued to bring heavy rains over several areas in northern Luzon.

At least 45 people were confirmed killed while dozens more remain missing after landslides hit parts of Baguio City and the rest of Benguet. Threats of more landslides have forced city officials to close major access roads, literally isolating the city from nearby provinces.

Marquez, however, assured that Pacquiao is in a safe place and is still busy doing indoor training.

Pacquiao earlier planned to spend half of his eight-week training in Baguio City before flying to the US to continue his camp at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California.

But his adviser Mike Koncz said Pacquiao’s stay in the City of Pines could run for 4 weeks or even more. If it goes five weeks, then Pacquiao may skip Los Angeles and head directly to Las Vegas.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Hall of Fame trainers Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain and Freddie Roach are one in saying that Manny Pacquiao would score a knockout win over World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title holder Miguel Cotto in their 12-round Nov. 14 fight in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Both trainers, however, have contrasting views on what round the current mythical pound-for-pound champion would end Cotto’s reign. Ignacio Beristain myboxingfans.com Beristain, the highly-respected Mexican trainer who also handled the career of former three-time World Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight champion Humberto Gonzalez, believes Pacquiao would KO the 28-year-old Caguas, Puerto Rico native midway through their title showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“I believe Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," said the veteran trainer who also handled four-time featherweight king Juan Manuel Marquez and the legendary Oscar De La Hoya, who both tasted defeat at the hands of Pacquiao.

Beristain said he sees Cotto following the same path adding that Pacquiao’s speed is too much for the Puerto Rican to handle the way Marquez and De La Hoya learned the hard way when the Filipino ring icon defeated them in separate occasions.

Beristain added that Cotto is not the same dominant fighter that won 31 straight bouts ever since he suffered an 11th round technical knockout loss to Mexican Antonio Margarito last year.

Cotto showed those signs when he struggled in securing a split decision win over Ghana’s Joshua Clottey in his previous fight June of this year at the Madisaon Square Garden. Manny Pacquiao does the mitts with trainer Freddie Roach at his training camp in Baguio City Thursday for his upcoming fight with Miguel Cotto. Dave Leprozo “In the fight against Clottey, you could see some of the aftermath of what happened with Margarito," said Beristain. “Clottey is not a top-level fighter, but nevertheless, in some moments, Cotto was put in predicaments and the punches were affecting him."

According to Beristain, Cotto’s deterioration in his skills could be traced to his decision in replacing former trainer and uncle Evangelista Cotto following a physical altercation while the Puerto Rican was training for the Clottey fight.

Cotto’s former nutritionist Joe Santiago has now taken over his training.

“Before he (Cotto) was a fighter with good technique, fast and well cared for, but he doesn’t seem like himself now. He changed his coach, changed some of his habits and now, catches more punches," Beristain said. Freddie Roach Roach at first sees a dominant win by his ward on points but is now singing a different tune after seeing Pacquiao improve by the day in his Baguio training camp.

“We’ll gonna knock this (Cotto) off in the later rounds," he said shortly after Pacquiao’s workout at the Shape-Up gym inside the Cooyesan Hotel.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Well, it looks like old Nostradamus Freddie Roach is back to his predictions again, this time he’s saying that Manny Pacquiao will knock World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto out on November 14th. In an article by Dennis Principe at Sports. Inquirer, Roach had this to say: “I picked him [Pacquiao] to win by decision, but until I started working him to this camp, the way he’s punching, his speed, we will knock this guy [Cotto] out.”

I really love the way Roach includes his name with the “we” part, as if he’ll be out there tagging Cotto as well. That’s funny. It won’t be any ‘we’ on November 14th. Pacquiao is going to be out there all by his lonesome facing Cotto and he’s going to have major problems. But I knew Roach was going to come back with a knockout prediction sooner or later. I was in disbelief when Roach started talking nice recently when he said that Cotto is a dangerous fighter and that the fight would go to a decision.

It almost seemed like Roach was trying to talk up the fight because almost no boxing fans were giving Cotto much of any chance against Pacquiao. Nothing has changed much since then, and here Roach is changing his tune by predicting a knockout win for Pacquiao. I’m wondering what Roach will say next. Maybe predict a 1st or 2nd round knockout, I guess.

He’s going to have to come up with something shocking to top his latest knockout prediction. All I can think of is he’ll say something like, “Manny is not only going to win, he’s going to flatten Cotto in the 1st round. How do you like them apples?” The media will eat it up like candy, of course. But there won’t be a knockout from Pacquiao’s side. There will be a knockout, but it will be Pacquiao who ends up getting taken out and Roach is going to end up with pie his face for his wrong prediction. I’m really looking forward to this so I can gloat and say I told you so.

I hear Pacquiao had some problems against his sparring partner Shawn Porter (10-0, 8 KO’s) in Pacquiao’s first day of sparring. I can’t say I’m surprised. Porter, a light middleweight, is fast and powerful and would probably wipe the deck with Pacquiao if the sparring went beyond three rounds. Porter’s the real deal. I don’t know that he’ll end up a champion in the light middleweight division because he’s only 5’7”, on the short side for a light middleweight, but he’s tough fighter.

I could see him beating Pacquiao up. I wonder how long he’ll last in the camp? If Roach lets him spar too much with Pacquiao, there probably won’t be enough left for Cotto to fight by November 14th. Look for Roach to start substituting the smaller, slower and weaker sparring partners, like Urbano Antillon, real quick rather than letting Porter beat up Pacquiao every day during training camp.

Roach: “Basically, we’re going to have a fast start and we’re not going to give [Cotto] any momentum.” It looks as if Roach is struck on the record of Pacquiao’s last fight against Ricky Hatton, and thinks Pacquiao can have the same kind of success if Manny bum rushes Cotto from the start of the fight. Sorry, that kind of approach won’t work against a talented fighter like Cotto.

It might work against a slower fighter such as Hatton, but not Cotto. If Pacquiao tries that approach, he’ll walk into a big right hand and get planted on the canvas on his backside. I really hope Pacquiao does try that aggressive style on Cotto, because Pacquiao will quickly find out that he doesn’t have the size or the power to be successful using that against a quality fighter like Cotto. That approach works against shot fighters and less talented ones, but it won’t work against Cotto.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

No, it wasn’t the elegance of the "Pink Palace" (as the hotel, built in 1912, is affectionately called), not its scroll of past celebrity guests like Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne or John F. Kennedy, and neither those gorgeous ladies walking the premises.

What caught Ariza’s sharp eyes was the shape Miguel Cotto was in, in the last day of the press tour that carried the Puerto Rican champion, and Manny Pacquiao, the reigning pound-for-pound king from the Philippines, to New York, Puerto Rico and San Francisco and LA over the last five days.

"Did you see him out there? He must be weighing 160 pounds," said Ariza who came into the picture with the promise that he can keep Pacquiao moving up in weight and adding up more power without losing his speed. He introduced the Pinoy icon to the special program of plyometrics.

And they’re been extremely successful so far with big knockout wins over Diaz, Oscar dela Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

He said Cotto weighing as much (the WBO champion said a few days ago he was at 159 lb) gives him the feeling that the wide-bodied Puerto Rican might find it quite difficult making the catchweight limit of 145 lb. Pacquiao is just a little over 150, and with two months left is safely there.

"He (Cotto) must be 160 pounds and we're fighting at 145 with only two months left. He's got a lot more work to do than us. We also have work to do but Cotto has got to lose a lot of weight," said Ariza, who’s hoping that at 145 lb, Pacquiao could be as sharp, as fast and as strong as he was in his last fights.

Cotto said he plans to climb the ring at 160.

"He weighed in at 142 for the Oscar dela Hoya fight (which was fought at 147 lb) and climbed the ring at 148 1/2. Now if we can put him in that shape I don’t see anyone who will be able to take his punches. He really looked exceptionally well at 142," said Ariza, who’s coming over to Baguio City for the training.

Ariza said he’s not concerned at all that some people feel that Pacquiao is lagging behind Cotto in training. While the Puerto Rican is into his fourth week, Pacquiao will mark day one of his training on Sept. 21 at the earliest.

But Ariza said it doesn’t really matter because eight weeks have proven to be the perfect formula, and anything more or less than that won’t bring out the best in him.

"Believe me, once he's in training nothing can disrupt him. And once he's ready, he'd climb the gate just to fight," he said.

At the press conference, Pacquiao said when he climbs the ring against Cotto he will prove the world "who Manny Pacquiao is."

The 30-year-old icon is gunning for a record seventh world title in different weight classes.

Cotto capped the press tour by saying there’s nothing else to do now but train, and make sure that when the fight comes "you're in your best shape."

Cotto is scheduled to fly back to Puerto Rico, and in just a couple of days will be in Tampa, Florida for the big grind. Pacquiao, on the other hand, motors to San Diego today to do the ceremonial pitch in the Padres’ game before heading back to Manila later in the evening. - By Abac Cordero (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

LOS ANGELES – Without really looking ahead of the Miguel Cotto fight, Manny Pacquiao yesterday said what seems to be his inevitable dream fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is looming on the horizon.

Once the fight pushes through, Pacquiao could earn from $25 million to $30 million or roughly P1.5 billion.

But Pacquiao said it would all depend on the outcome of his fight with Cotto, the reigning WBO welterweight champion, in November, and Mayweather’s own match with Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday.

Both Pacquiao and Mayweather are favored to prevail, and should no one spoil the fun, they could end up facing each other for what could be the fight of the decade or even greater than that, later next year.

“Kapag nanalo kami pareho ni Mayweather, kami na yan (If me and Mayweather prevail, then it should be us),” said Pacquiao on board the Gulfstream G200 eight-seater plane that took him out of San Francisco.

“Nag-uusap na. Basta. Nag-uusap na (Talks are on),” said Pacquiao who was joined in the 50-minute flight to Burbank in LA by trainer Freddie Roach, top-ranked publicist Fred Sternburg, Mike Koncz, Geng Gacal and Roger Fernandez.

Cotto took a separate plane, a private one as well, to Los Angeles and was joined by his father, Miguel Sr., lawyer Gabriel Penagaricano, coach Phil Landman, Top Rank big boss Bob Arum and his dynamic duo of Lee Samuels and Ricardo Jimenez.

Arum said Pacquiao stands to earn as much as $20 million for the Cotto fight, and while he has yet to confirm that there are indeed talks with the Mayweather camp, he’d rather have Pacquiao focusing on the coming fight.

At the AT&T Park in San Francisco earlier in the day, Pacquiao and Cotto came to watch the San Francisco Giants clobber the LA Dodgers, and for the fourth straight day the two boxers stood close to one another.

They were together up inside a VIP box, enjoying some cold drinks and hotdogs. They seem to like each other’s company but when they part in a couple of days, they should start training, thinking of ways how to beat each other.

After the match, played before a sell-out crowd of 40,000, Pacquiao and Cotto took over, holding a conference just off the Giants dugout, in front of some 3,000 fans who came to see the two world champions in the flesh, and not necessarily the ballgame.

A cold afternoon drizzle was not enough to shoo the crowd away as Pacquiao, Cotto and Arum fielded questions from the media and some of the fans, which occupied eight sections of the lower stands, as well.

Pacquiao hardly talked about his plans for the fight, and instead invited the fans to come to Las Vegas in November because "I’m going to hold a concert at Mandalay Bay after the fight."

Cotto was bolder this time, saying he’d train as hard as he can because "it’s going to be war" out there at the MGM Grand.

Pacquiao played basketball with friends in San Francisco at noon before leaving for LA.

From the airport, Pacquiao was taken straight to his $2 million home at the plush Hancock Park, took some rest and enjoyed dinner of grilled angus beef and steamed rice.

Roach was asked about Pacquiao’s training, and said they will be ready to go 12 rounds against Cotto. But boxing’s hottest trainer today may have something else in mind when he said training will be held in “Boracay.”

He was quick in making the correction that it should be Baguio. Later on, before boarding the private plane, he had a good laugh about having mentioned Boracay, which he fondly remembers as the island paradise in the Philippines.

Notes: Tickets to the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto "Firepower" in November are moving so fast that it you still don’t have one, chances are you’d end up watching the fight on pay-per-view or closed circuit or buying one for an incredible price on the black market. Of the close to 17,000 seats at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, only a few hundreds are left, those pegged at $1,000 and $750. “The $300s are gone,” said Top Rank’s Ricardo Jimenez. The tickets to the Pacquiao-Cotto fight are doing so great that Ringside A, Row A seats, where the stars belong, are being peddled on the Internet for $8,645 each or roughly P414,960, probably equivalent to a year’s salary of a bank manager in Manila. "It just shows how big this fight is and how the fans are looking forward to it," said Pacquiao’s adviser, Mike Koncz. “For some fights, hotels in Las Vegas are on a discounted price, but for this fight, for Pacquiao fights, they’re jacking them up,” he said. - By Abac Cordero (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

“Tatakbo sa akin yan. If I press the fight I’m sure he would run. At kapag naghintay naman ako, papasok yan (And if I wait, he’ll come in),” said the reigning pound-for-pound champion.

In short, Pacquiao thinks that either way would be to his advantage, considering that he has both the speed, to catch Cotto somewhere along the way, and the power to put him down.

“Ganyan ang mangyayari, tumakbo man siya or pumasok siya, okay sa akin,” said Pacquiao, his pre-game analysis cut short by a line of Puerto Rican fans wanting to take pictures with him.

From fellow passengers to airport personnel and even the police, all of them wanted to be close to Pacquiao. One of them said, “I may be the only Puerto Rican rooting for you. Believe me. You’re a great fighter.”

It was around three in the afternoon, and a couple of hours earlier Pacquiao and Cotto were at the Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas, right in the heart of the WBO champion’s hometown.

More than a thousand packed the theater, and they cheered wildly as Pacquiao and Cotto made a dramatic entrance, slowly rising through a hydraulic box that had kept them beneath an elevated stage.

Key members of both camps, along with some Puerto Rican officials, were introduced by Top Rank president Bob Arum.

Cotto, in an elegant brown suit, spoke in Spanish and was cheered on, while Pacquiao, more casual in a white shirt, blue jeans and running shoes, spoke in English.

Even the Puerto Ricans cheered him on, and there were even chants of “Man-ny! Man-ny!” as he took the microphone. He said, “I’m sure you will all root for Cotto because he’s your countryman. But thank you for supporting me, too.”

Before their explosive stage appearance, Pacquiao and Cotto held separate interviews in separate rooms with the Puerto Rican media. Cotto came with his lovely wife and four kids, while Pacquiao was with his lean entourage.

At one point, however, they ended up in the same room when they were not supposed to, and Pacquiao sat beside Cotto, shaking hands and again smiling, talking to one another like they were old friends.

Pacquiao and his men checked in at the trendy El San Juan Hotel and Casino past midnight Friday, and checked out of the hotel by the beach before 10 a.m. headed to the press conference and straight to the airport.

A line of black, heavily-tinted Ford Excursions, with burly bodyguards in dark suits, brought Pacquiao and Cotto to the arts center, and the convoy, with police motorcycle escorts, drove swiftly for 45 minutes like it was carrying the President.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, did most of the talking during the interview, and faced tough questions on the schedule of their training which won’t start until Sept. 21 in Baguio City, while Cotto has been training for four weeks now.

“No one dictates our time but Manny and me. If they already started I don’t care. I know my job and we know what we’re doing,” said Roach.

“We’ll be in great shape and we’ll be ready to go 12 rounds. We want to take the rounds one at a time and if the knockout comes then it comes. We know he (Cotto) has a good chin but we’re gonna take away his advantage and use ours,” he added.

Pacquiao could only agree.

Notes: Bob Arum hasn’t been to Baguio, and he won’t miss the opportunity to be there while Manny Pacquiao trains. He said he’ll be up there in the country’s summer capital for a few days. The legendary promoter was asking what he should do once he lands in Manila, when Pacquiao, his boxer, said, “Don’t worry Bob. I will arrange a private plane for you. Don’t travel by land.” Pacquiao will train for four weeks in Baguio, under Freddie Roach who’ll be coming in on the 19th or 20th with the sparring partners... The ongoing press tour of five key cities in six days is turning out to be a huge success, prompting Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser, Mike Koncz, to say that “Whatever we accomplished in the press tours in each of Manny’s recent fights is just 50 percent of what we’ve accomplished so far here,” said Koncz, noting that not even for the Dela Hoya fight last December did the press tour look like this one. “Before, all we did was come to the city, do the press conference and leave,” said Koncz. This time, there are side-trips that only keep the fans going, like Pacquiao taking early-morning runs at Central Park in New York, gracing pictorials with HBO and ESPN or showing up at the municipal hall of Caguas, Puerto Rico. Sunday, the boxers take to the AT&T Park here in Frisco for the Giants vs Dodgers game, and by Monday they should be at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles for another gig. On Tuesday, Pacquiao will be at the PETCO Park in San Diego for a game featuring the Padres, and later in the evening is scheduled to take the flight back to Manila. - By Abac Cordero (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Oscar De La Hoya lists Manny Pacquiao not only as one of the greatest fighters he has fought but the guy with the fastest hands.

The Golden Boy, in his weekly blog in on-line edition of The Ring magazine, rattled off the names of Julio Cesar Chavez of Mexico, Pernell Whitaker of the US, Arturo Gatti of the US, Ike Quartey of Ghana, Fernando Vargas of the US, Bernard Hopkins of the US, and Pacquiao as “the best he faced in ten important categories.”

Said De La Hoya on Pacquiao: “His punches don’t come from your basic boxing style; they come from all sorts of weird angles. That’s what makes him difficult.”

Pacquiao was the underdog going into the fancied fight held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

De La Hoya, who did not answer the bell for the ninth round against Pacquiao last year, hailed Chavez as being the best fighter and the one with the best chin and Whitaker as being the best boxer and the one with the quickest of feet and best defense.

The late Gatti was acknowledged as the best puncher, while Quartey had the best jab and Vargas as being the strongest. Hopkins, according to De La Hoya, now 36, was the smartest. Hopkins is the only other fellow aside from Pacquiao who was able to stop De La Hoya.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao reiterated on Thursday his intention to run for congressman of Saranggani province in Mindanao after an early-morning radio report said he has decided to walk away from the political arena.

Pacquiao said he has devoted so much of his time and money the last 12 months that he hasn’t changed his mind about his second crack at making big in politics.

Instead of challenging the bigwigs of the province, led by the Chiongbians, Pacquiao is being lured to run instead as a party-list representative.

Pacquiao is scheduled to face Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico on November 14 at the MGM Grand.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Beforehand it was only a question for who will be the next foe for the regime of Manny Pacquiao in the field of boxing. This official announcement of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto fight calendared this 14th of November at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas conveys with it a wave of excitement and thrill for fight fans. The boxing's acknowledged pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao, will jump north in weight once more to fight Cotto, the current WBO welterweight champ, at an agreed-upon catch-weight of 145 pounds after his triumphant dominance over Clottey.

This match-up is certain to trigger a firestorm of debate and discussions among devoted followers of the sweet science of boxing. Both fighters are accomplished stars, who inspire great passion in their fan established fame, and yet they have unanswered questions hanging over them at the moment. What are those questions? Questions that will be cleared up once they meet and fight in November.

Although would really not take a confident body for this fight since Cotto has some hard punches too that Pacquiao must be aware of. The pound for pound king have statements that for his foes to conquer the win they must knock him out. Then these statements can be true. But still I am on the side of Pacquiao not only that I am a Filipino but to the skills and quickness that he possessed.

There is no doubt and hesitation that Pacquiao presents a frightening package to any opponent right now. Pacquiao has looked great in his last three fights, but he is not without question still, particularly when facing this Puerto Rican with a proven heavy-handed puncher of Cotto's size and caliber. Let us all see this all this November to unleash these questions. It should be remarked also that he fought the perfect opponents, the perfect guys to make him look like a million bucks right now.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Welcome Buddies! This blog will feature Manny Pacquiao's greatness as a pound for pound king and the much awaited next foe of him in the name of Miguel Cotto. This is the Pacquiao vs Cotto match.

Now that this fight is on, you can see updates here and latest news about these two brawlers. I will be posting videos also and Photos to make this blog more appealing to you. Any comments and recommendations plus your contributions if any will be delightedly accepted and honored.

Just contact the blog author for any suggestions. Your participation is also welcome!